Sphero facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sphero, Inc.

Formerly	Orbotix
Type	Private
Industry	Robotics Toys
Founded	2010; 15 years ago (2010)
Founders	Ian Bernstein Adam Wilson Joshua Cohen
Headquarters	Boulder, Colorado United States

Sphero, Inc. is a company from Boulder, Colorado, USA. They make cool robots and toys for everyone!

Their first robot was called Sphero. It was a round, white ball that you could control with your phone or tablet. It came out in 2011. Later, they made Sphero 2.0, which was even better! Both of these original Sphero robots are not made anymore.

In 2015, Sphero teamed up with Disney to create awesome robots from movies! They made a BB-8 robot from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and later R2-D2 and Lightning McQueen from Cars. These special robots are also not made anymore.

Today, Sphero makes other fun robots like the Sphero Mini, BOLT, and SPRK+.

In 2019, Sphero introduced a new robot called Sphero RVR. It's like a tank with tracks that can go almost anywhere! You can program it to do many things, and it's great for learning about robotics. Sphero also joined forces with another company called littleBits in 2019.

Discover Sphero Robots!

Sphero 1.0 and 2.0: The First Robots

The first Sphero robots were designed by their creators, Ian Bernstein and Adam Wilson. They even used a 3D-printed shell and parts from a smartphone to make the first test version! They showed it off at a big tech show called CES in 2011.

The original Sphero came out in 2011. It was a white ball about 74 millimeters (or 2.9 inches) wide. It weighed about 168 grams (or 0.37 pounds). Inside, it had a powerful computer chip, two rechargeable batteries, and colorful lights. It also had sensors that help it know how it's moving and where it's pointing. It connected using Bluetooth and charged wirelessly. A newer version, Sphero 2.0, was released in 2013. It was twice as fast and had brighter lights!

You could control these robots with a smartphone or tablet. They worked with iOS, Android, or Windows Phone devices. Because they had motion sensors, you could even use them as a controller for some games. Sphero also provided special tools for making apps, so many fun apps and games were created for these robots.

Users could program the robots with an app called Sphero Macrolab. This app had pre-made commands you could use. There was also orbBasic, which used a simple language to write your own code.

Both Sphero 1.0 and 2.0 are not made anymore. Sphero 1.0 does not work with the newer Sphero Play or Sphero EDU apps.

Ollie: The Trickster Robot

An Ollie Darkside with turbo tires on.

The Sphero Ollie came out in 2014. Instead of being a rolling ball, it uses tires, like a car! This design makes it great for doing cool tricks and spins. The Ollie charges with a micro-USB cable, not wirelessly. It can zoom around at speeds up to 23 kilometers per hour (about 14 miles per hour)!

BB-8: Your Star Wars Droid

In 2014, Sphero was part of a special program at Disney to help new tech companies. During this time, Sphero's team had a special meeting with Disney's boss, Bob Iger. He showed them secret photos from the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens and pictures of BB-8, a new round droid character. Disney then offered Sphero a deal to make an official BB-8 toy using Sphero's technology! Disney also invested some money in Sphero.

The BB-8 toy was released on September 4, 2015. It came with a special Star Wars-themed app. This app even let you send cool augmented reality messages that looked like holograms!

This robot is not made anymore because the partnership between Disney and Sphero ended.

R2-D2: Another Star Wars Friend

After the success of the BB-8 robot, Sphero also released an R2-D2 robot! This robot also used Sphero's technology. It came with an app for iOS and Android (operating system) phones and tablets. Unlike BB-8, the R2-D2 droid charged with a micro-USB cable, not wirelessly.

This robot is also not made anymore because the partnership between Disney and Sphero ended.

Ultimate Lightning McQueen: Race Car Robot

In 2017, Sphero released a robotic car that looked just like Lightning McQueen from the Cars movies. This was also part of their partnership with Disney.

This robot is not made anymore because the partnership between Disney and Sphero ended.

Sphero Bolt: The Smart, Clear Robot

Sphero Bolt is a clear version of the Sphero robot. It's about 73 millimeters (2.9 inches) wide and weighs about 200 grams (0.44 pounds). It's sealed and charges wirelessly. This robot has lots of sensors! It has a gyroscope, accelerometer, a compass, and even an 8x8 LED screen to show messages. It also has infrared and light sensors.

Sphero SPRK+: Learn and Code

Sphero SPRK+ is another clear Sphero robot. It's also about 73 millimeters (2.9 inches) wide and weighs about 181 grams (0.4 pounds). It's sealed and charges wirelessly. This model is made especially for learning and coding in schools and at home.

Sphero Mini: Small Size, Big Fun

Sphero Mini is a much smaller version of the Sphero robot. It's only about 42 millimeters (1.65 inches) wide and weighs about 46 grams (1.6 ounces). It's the first Sphero robot where you can change its colorful outer shells! These shells come in white, blue, pink, green, and orange. You can even get special shells that look like a golf ball or a tiny soccer ball. The Mini is the most affordable Sphero robot.

The Mini has a cool new feature called Face Drive. This lets you drive the robot through the app using different head movements! The Mini charges with a micro USB cable. This means it's not safe to get wet, unlike some other Sphero robots. You can also create your own games for Sphero Mini using the Sphero Edu app.

Sphero RVR: Go Anywhere, Program Anything

Sphero RVR (pronounced "rover") is a programmable robot kit. Sphero first showed it on Kickstarter in February 2019. They advertised it as a robot that can "go anywhere, do anything."

You can program the RVR using an app. You can do this by dragging and dropping blocks (visual programming) or by writing code in JavaScript. The robot is modular, which means you can attach different sensors and other computer boards like Arduino and Raspberry Pi. It has a battery that you can swap out, and it charges with a USB-C cable.

This robot is designed to be very helpful for education and learning about robotics. It was released in October 2019 and cost $249.

Sphero indi: Robots for Young Learners

Sphero indi is a programmable robot made for younger kids who are just starting to learn. A main feature of this robot is its special camera. It can see and react to different colored cards that it drives over.

You can use it with the Sphero Edu Jr. app, or you can even use it without any smart device at all!

Sphero Bolt+: Bolt with a Screen

Sphero Bolt+ is similar to the Sphero Bolt. The main difference is that it has a bigger, more detailed screen. Instead of an 8x8 LED display, it has a 128x128 pixel LCD screen.